Arwen's blog

My final thoughts on London... it's almost unbearable to think about. My semester abroad is coming to a close and it's a bittersweet moment. I keep getting conflicting emotions. One moment I am thankful that I am going to be flying home soon, the next I am almost in tears when I think about leaving this place. It's strange to think that just fifteen weeks ago I was at home, nervous and anxious about boarding the plane to Heathrow Airport. Now, I will be boarding the same plane, but heading in the opposite direction. 

Goodbye London...

London was always the fantasy city for me. The place I always wanted to travel to, the place I always wanted to live in. This opportunity to study abroad was screaming out to me and it would have been stupid for me to ignore it. Four months was all it took for me to realize that London really was all that I thought it would be, and so much more. Actually, four months isn't right. It only took me a week. Within that week I was still trying to get over the fact that I was actually living in a different country; it was the adjustment period. After that, after I was comfortable, I was able to explore the city and find the wonderful qualities about it that originally drew me into this country. At first it was only a far off fantasy, but NYU made it a reality.

I honestly couldn't begin to tell you about the most rewarding aspect of studying abroad here. To be sentimental, it was everything that was rewarding. There where some difficult times, but then again, there where some unbelievable times. To travel with friends, to live in a culture so far and different from my own, it was unexplainable. I think for anyone to truly understand what a student who studies abroad experiences, one must simply take part in it. Its a difficult experience to sum up into words. You can only know by living it. 

Before I studied abroad, I made an effort to hear from other students about their experiences through the program. The one thing that was a recurring topic was the impact I would have when coming home. Everyone stressed how differently it would be, how I would have to adjust once I got back to New York. At the time, I didn't understand, but now that I have been away for four months I can understand what they meant. It's something I can not explain, but London and New York are so different that it can't possibly be easy to get back into the swing of the city. I am actually nervous for my transition. 

I can't come up with anything to change during my semester abroad. It was a truly enjoyable experience and I have come away with some great friends and some unforgettable memories. 

When this semester began I must admit that I was conflicted regarding whether or not I would enjoy this class. Blogging was not something that I was knowledgeable about (yes, even though I live in this technology driven society blogging was not something I had ever responded to). But the concept of the class did appeal to me. The idea that I would have a place where I could talk about my semester abroad, almost like a journal keeping track of what and how I was doing, was something I was looking forward to. So, I tried to keep an open mind.

Blogging in my room! (Sticking my tongue out at my roommate, not at blogging!)

Now that the semester is coming to an end, I must say that I am a bit sad to leave behind this blog. I think it is a great way for students who are similarly studying abroad to reach out to one another and converse about their experiences. 

Somedays, I did find the blog topics difficult to start, but for the most part they were easy since it was basically writing about personal travel experiences, etc. I do wish, however, that we were given more 'open topics'. Its nice when I can just write about travel plans or something that I experienced while living abroad and get feedback from my fellow classmates. As for the reading, I found it very insightful. It made me think more deeply about the idea of travel and what it means to me to be able to travel. 

For the question of whether or not I found a new appreciation for blogging, I am sad to say that I haven't. Not that there is anything wrong with the process or even the concept of blogging, it is simply that I don't feel I can commit to blogging. I enjoyed the class for the sake of education and studying abroad, but if and when I decide to travel again to a different country or city I find comfort in the fact that I don't have to dedicate my travels to typing away at a computer. Instead, I like to live in that moment of the journey. Its my time to experience life and blogging just interrupts that time.

I can't really say whether I have any suggestions for making this class better. I can't complain because it was a very freeing class based solely on my own opinions. There really is no right or wrong to what I blog, just as long as I do. 

I had a wonderful time and could not have asked for a better class!

Before I came to London, the only preparation I had was what I could read in books and what I saw on the travel channel. There was no way for me to know what life abroad was going to entail, and there is only so much one can "experience" through reading books and watching television. It would have been nice to have first hand advice from someone who had gone through this program before, but it did make the trip an adventurous one!

So, for anyone interested in traveling abroad through the NYU in London program, I have compiled some tips and recommendations that I hope will be helpful.

London, the city I love...

Traveling to and from London: If it is possible, take advantage of NYU's travel agency to book your flights to and from London. They get you a great deal on flights and you will be traveling with other NYU students, which is extremely helpful when you get to Heathrow. Making your way through a huge, foreign airport is much less stressful when you have other people with you!

Packing: To pack for four months is a bit daunting, I know. But don't bring any heavy "appliances" such as hair dryers, etc. They are bulky and will only make it difficult to pack. When you get here you can find really inexpensive hair dryers, etc that will work with British outlets and will be suitable for your four month stay. Plus, because they are so inexpensive, you won't mind leaving them behind when you head home. Also, if you are traveling during the Spring semester, bring warm clothing. London does have some beautiful days, but during this time of the year it does get a bit chilly (not like our New York spring semester).

Excursions: NYU in London makes a big effort before classes start to put on events that will help you get adjusted. Don't just ignore them. Surprisingly, they are extremely helpful. And a lot of the events are meant for students to get acquainted with one another and also help you get to know your neighborhood. Once classes have begun, NYU in London plans trips outside of London. They can be either day trips or overnights, to places like Bath, Greenwich, and Cambridge. Definitely go on them! Again, you will be traveling with other NYU students and its a great and free way to see England. 

Accommodations in London: A majority of NYU students live in one housing building, but you do not have to choose this option. I suggest it though. NIDO, the student housing building, is open to not only NYU students, but other students studying in London. It is nice to have all NYU students in the same building, and you also meet a lot of British students as well. Although the rooms are a little small it is only a twenty minute walk to campus and is a safe building. 

Transportation: Invest in an Oyster card. It is London's form of the Metro card. It can be used for the underground and the buses. You can "top up" at any station and it saves time and money. It does cost you three pounds to purchase, but when you are ready to leave London and head back home to New York you can return the card and get your three pounds back. (Or you can keep the card as a souvenir!)

Seeing the sights: I know that the studying abroad program is very understanding of the students' need to travel. And London being a close distant to Ireland, Scotland, France, etc, it is very enticing to want to leave London as often as you can. But don't! I mean, yes, travel. As much as you can, but don't forget about London. It has so much history and excitement that you don't want to miss. Make sure you schedule time to check out all the tourist attractions and get in some good quality London time. Make a list of places you want to see and MAKE SURE YOU DO THEM! You are in London after all!

I hope this has been at least a little bit helpful. I know that my time in London has been amazing and I hope if you are planning on visiting you can enjoy the city as much as I have.

"...de Maistre's work sprang from a profound and suggestive insight: the notion that the pleasure we derive from a journey may be dependent more on the mind-set we travel with than on the destination we travel to... What then is a traveling mind-set? Receptivity might be said to be its chief characteristic. Receptive, we approach new places with humility. We carry with us no rigid ideas about what is or is not interesting... Home, by contrast, finds us more settled in our experiences. We feel assured that we have discovered everything about our neighborhood, primarily by virtue of having lived there..." (242)

In de Bottom's chapter 'On Habit', I really responded to this section. When I think about my home-life I never think about anything overly  extraordinary. Not to say that where I live in Florida is at all boring or mundane, it is simply my home. Nothing more, nothing less. It is the place where I was raised, the place where my family lives, the place where I went to school and the place where I made friends. Of course, all of that is by no means uninteresting, but after living in the same place for over fifteen years, all of the excitement becomes monotonous; it becomes something of habit. 

Marco Island, Florida

Living in a vacation and tourist frequented spot in Florida, I was always a bit unnerved by the numbers of people that would flood the streets every day. Year after year and day after day, my little hometown of Marco Island would be harassed by tourists from all over. I was frequently baffled at the amounts of people coming to visit. To be honest, there isn't much in Marco. We have a lovely beach and it definitely gives the illusion of a small island feeling but other than that, there really isn't much. So how can all these people, no matter what time of year, constantly be attracted to such a random place? 

After reading this section in de Bottom's book, I realized that more than likely, having grow up on Marco has almost disillusioned me to it's intriguing qualities. My close connection with Marco Island has given me the impression that I have discovered everything it has to offer, therefore, since I have an intimate relationship with my hometown I can't quite understand its attraction to "outsiders" (as we call them on the island). 

It is probably quite a similar situation to Londoners. London, being the well known city that it is, is constantly surrounded by visitors from all over the world. Being a Londoner for all ones life, one probably is quite familiar with the city. And I, being the tourist who is new to this place, can easily find exciting new things, while the Londoner is so used to it all that my excitement is their monotonous. Harrods is just that ridiculously overpriced department store; the London Eye is just that giant monstrosity that is making British Airways thousands of pounds a day; and the underground is just a source of transportation. 

I suppose, after writing this entry, I will have to be more open minded to the idea of tourists visiting my hometown. It is clear that what one person finds dull, another person finds exciting, and therefore we must not shut out the opportunities of excitement even if it is in our own backyards. 

Before going on an extended trip or journey to a new place, one of the questions that we ask ourselves is "What will the people be like?". This question is of course a very understandable one. Being from a different culture and living in a completely different part of the world it is likely that people we encounter during our travels will have different mannerisms that we Americans can't seem to understand. 

British women drinking tea...

Since I had never been to England before I could only imagine that England's people would be similar to what is portrayed to us through television and movies. The stereotypical english man or woman of course talked with the British accent -- either a proper form like the Queen or that wonderful "slang-sounding" and difficult to understand dialect of Cockney. Young men would be properly dressed like gentlemen or they could be the kind that had clearly just rolled out of a pub after watching the 'football' match, while young women would be well up on the fashion trends and all somehow look like Keira Knightley. The older generations would exude an "air" about them of proper English heritage, dressed in Tweed with the men smoking pipes and the women wearing giant sun hats and pearls, while both the men and women would partake in drinking tea and eating biscuits.  All of these attributes, along with the "English attitude", one that was proper and almost "stand-off-ish" and guarded, was what I was expecting when I landed on British soil. But I was proven quite wrong.

Once classes began, I was introduced to my Nineteenth Century British Novel teacher, Professor Moira Ferguson. Professor Ferguson, or Moira as we are accustom to calling her, was far from the British stereotype that I was expecting. Just by looking at her you can tell that she has lived a fascinating and exciting life. (Not to say that English men and woman can not live exciting lives, but what is portrayed through television and movies is a British disposition and demeanor that is more subdued, while Moira was certainly not!) Moira is a very outspoken and open person. She makes an effort in each class meeting to discuss something that is going on in her life, whether it be a movie that she went to see, a place that she visited over the weekend, or a "naughty" joke that she recently heard. As the semester continued, she began to let us (her students) into her life. We came to find out that not only was she an intelligent person, but a well traveled and cultured women. Many of the stories she tells are about her activism days (one of which involved walking beside Harvey Milk in California), stories about her wild travels with her ex-husband who was a journalist (who introduced her to Jim Morrison!), and even some interesting stories from right here in London. Daily I am fascinated by the exciting life she has lived and more often than not, cannot believe the wild life she is still currently living. Everything about her breaks the stereotype of an Englishwoman. She has a wit and sarcasm about her; she is outspoken almost to the point of being a New Yorker!; she is all about traveling and immersing herself into different cultures; she lives for a life of excitement; and she is certainly not guarded with a "cold" English front. Although she does enjoy the occasional cup of tea, she is far from what I expected out of my proper British teacher from London!

I know that I have written about this place before but in the past three months my favorite place to visit each Saturday still remains to be Notting Hill. Yes, it's the movie that Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts starred in but it is also one of the most well known and eccentric districts in London.

The travel book, Lonely Planet, describes Notting Hill as "becoming anaesthetised by its own popularity" but it still remains a favorite for tourists and locals alike. Beginning north of Holland Park, Notting Hill is home to one of the most recognizable street markets: Portobello Road. "From Notting Hill Gate, you being by passing antiques, home-wares and bric-a-brac stores and stalls, moving on through food to clothing- both young designers and second hand." 

Us, trying to walk through the market

Like clockwork every Saturday, salesmen and women wake up in the early hours of the morning and head towards Portobello. In a matter of minutes street stalls are assembled and merchandise is displayed. Now, of course, being the college student that I am, there is no possible way I actually make it out in time to see this process be done. I normally meander my way towards Notting Hill Gate around noon, just in time for lunch. If you aren't precisely sure how to make it to Portobello Road after exiting the tube station, no worries. Literally, hundreds of people are on their way to the market. Just follow the crowds. (And there WILL be crowds) If you can't handle hundreds of people in the street this market is probably not for you!

Pushing my way past the crowd, my first stop is normally the cafe. I wish I could give you the name, but it is one of those "hidden" places. I randomly found it while walking through an antique store. There was a tiny sign that pointed upstairs that said cafe and so I followed it. Probably not the brightest idea but I did. In this tiny upstairs room lies a little mom and pop "diner" where they serve the best and most inexpensive food ever! After gaining some strength, I head back to the overwhelming street. Week after week and I am greeted by the same store vendors that have been here every weekend.

The long stretch of market seems to go on forever and quite often smells of the fresh crepes being made, bread, and, infront of Hummingbird Bakery, it smells of cupcakes! If you're lucky, the man who makes the best seafood in town will be out cooking up different paellas and will gladly give you a taste!

With all the different characters you meet while walking up and down the busy Portobello Street you are sure never to be bored. Something or some food is bound to catch your attention and you are promised an interesting adventure. 

After living in London for over three months it saddens me to say that after a while I began to slowly spiral down from my original enthusiasm and started to become cynical. Not cynical about London itself, but with the monotony of living here and going to school. I started to take for granted this city. It reached a point where I was becoming more excited about my next trip outside of London, my next chance to leave this island; more-so excited than I was about anything else. I suppose it is similar to living in any place really. Sometimes, you move somewhere and are so enthralled in all that your new city has to offer you: the new neighborhoods, the new people, the new adventures. But after a while, you sink into a routine. Everything becomes ordinary rather then new and exciting. The place you once dreamed of has become redundant. Maybe I started letting the gloomy London weather get to me, but I was coming to a point where I no longer cared about living here and was looking forward to the day I was heading back to New York. 

Luckily for me, Spring Break was quickly approaching me. Two weeks of no work and no rush, just some relaxing free time. My first week was spent in Athens and Rome. I fell in love immediately. Well, maybe not so much with Athens, but definitely with Rome. The second week of Spring Break was dedicated to my family. They were flying up to spend a week in London and of course, to visit with me. This part I wasn't as thrilled about. Don't get me wrong, I was ridiculously excited to see my family, but with my current feelings towards London you can understand that I wasn't thrilled to be spending a week here. 

What could we possibly do with an entire week?! That was the thought running through my mind.

Nana, Mom, and Me infront of Big Ben

Well, the family was here and instead of ruining their trip I put on my happy face like any other daughter and stuck it out. Of course, with none of my family having been here in the last ten years it was evident that ALL the touristy sites would be done. And boy did we see them all! And surprisingly to me, my bitterness actually began to wear off! Getting dragged to every historical site imaginable somehow became exactly what was needed to lift the bitter weight that was resting on my shoulder. It seems that with my families excitement and fresh outlook on the city, I was able to look at London in a different light. I suppose I could be cheesy and call it a revelation, but that was in fact what it seemed to become. With my family there I was re-introduced to the city that I once fell in love with; with the city that I had dreamed about; the city I wanted to study abroad in. Maybe it was a three month slump that I fell into but I'm glad to be out of it! Maybe the trick is, instead of leaving behind the places we once loved, it is our responsibility to revisit the things that made us fall in love in the first place. 

"It may be truism that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language, but it's truer to say that the two nations are united by language and divided by everything else. These differences--- of manners, mores, assumptions, expectations--- are the subject of 'The Anglo Files,' by Sarah Lyall..." (New York Times review)

Sarah Lyall

The second book that I have been reading for this class is entitled "The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British" by Sarah Lyall. Sarah Lyall, an American who has moved and has lived in Britain for over a decade with her English born husband has written a book about her first experiences living in England and the strangeness she has encountered. The fourteen chapters of the book, one entitiled 'Naughty Boys and Rumpy-Pumpy', comment on English eccentrics, animals, food, class, sex, and inevitably, the British and their teeth. She does like to poke fun at both Parliament and the House of Commons, but Lyall does in fact like and respect the British people. 

The first thing that drew my attention to this book way Lyall's comical way of writing. (If you are looking for a book with humor and sarcasm, this is definitely one to pick up!) She takes the obvious stereotypes of England and makes it interesting, without keeping it the same comment recycled and put on paper.

"Just as some women are inexplicably attracted to prison inmates, so others yearn above all for Englishmen, with their thrilling accents, rumpled boyish hair, and ability to make even pointless banalities sound like brilliant repartee. For one of those, you think, and you will never be lost for conversation...Englishmen present an impeccable facade---capable, articulate, charming and, best of all, ripe for emotional awakening at the deft hands of a clever foreigner..." (11-12)

Along with her clever witticism, this book give an insight into the British people and the curiosities and peculiarities that we, as outsiders, and more importantly, as Americans, see in them. She draws a line between our two cultures, solidifying that language may be the only thing the US and England share in common. "We look to the future; they look to the past. We run for election; they stand for it. We noisily proclaim our Americanness; they shuffle their feet and apologize for their Britishness." Lyall also tries her best at tackling the common preconceptions of the British, all of which, in her telling, turn out to be more or less true. First, it is clear that in her mind cleanliness is not up to her American standards. Second, the dependably bad food. And lastly, the issue of Englishmen as being gay. I don't know if I can agree with her on these points that she brings up but it was nonetheless entertaining to hear from her point of view.

All in all, I found this book entertain to say the least. It was an interesting look at the British through the eyes of an American journalist whom is now living in England.

"It is found that tourists try to enter back regions of the places they visit because these regions are associated with intimacy of relations and authenticity of experiences." (589)

It is in my understanding that the reason people embark on journeys to foreign lands and want the experience of travel is due to the fact that these individuals want to become better acquainted with a culture far from their own. Whether we travel within our own country or cross major bodies of water, it is a journey we take in search of something "exotic" from our everyday lives and is something that makes us eager to engage in such experiences. 

Oxford Street

At least, for my own personal reasons, an extended travel was a major factor in my decision to study abroad in London. Rather than the typical week long vacation, I was given the opportunity to spend four months in a country that I had never visited before. This was a chance to immerse myself in a culture that was similar and yet vastly different than my own; a chance to find the truth behind the city. The four month long opportunity to live and study overseas was a way for me to actively engage in a different culture; a different way of living. 

Since not every person has the same opportunity to take an extended period of time and completely immerse themselves in a different culture, it is common that entering the "back regions" of a community is overly appealing to a majority of tourists.

"The 'front' [region] is the meeting place of hosts and guests or customers and service persons, and the 'back' [region] is the place where members of the home team retire between performances to relax and to prepare...A back region, closed to audiences and outsiders, allows concealment...that might discredit the performance out front..." (590-91)

In this explanation, MacCannell believes that what happens on the surface, what is directed at "outsiders" visiting a community is in fact a purposeful illusion made to "mystify" the onlooker, while in the back, the real people are hidden. It is like a performance that is happening on stage, and yet, it is happening right before the visitors eyes. It is thought that the "back regions" are home to the true essence of a culture; the "back region" is where the truth of the city lives, not in the "performance" that is given to the tourists that are visiting. And so, visitors make it a priority to gain access to this privileged way of living.

After living in London for three months, I have yet to find the truth or authenticity behind this city. I originally thought that four months was the perfect amount of time to acquire an intimate relationship with London, but I was mistaken. Even living in New York for as long as I have I cannot say that I know the truth behind the city. I don't know how I thought London would be different. Although it has been the place I have called "home" for three months, I still feel like a tourist looking for the authentic London. 

When I came to London, to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what kind of situation I was going to be getting myself into. I had an image in my mind, but any image I created had the high possibility of being completely exaggerated or distorted from reality. Yes, they speak english here, (or at least some form of english!), but that doesn't necessarily mean that culturally everything else will be similar. After landing at Heathrow I could immediately tell that people, though similar in dress and expression, were vastly different from back home in New York. 

When you live in London for even a mere week you can tell that the lifestyle is quite different than back home. Back home in New York, shops are open no later than six in the morning and don't close until much later than nine at night. Take out is available at three in the morning if you wanted and "take-out" can come in any and ever food imaginable. There is very rarely a quiet hour in the city, even in the wee hours of the morning. People hustle and bustle up and down every street--- both business men and women, students, and other city-dwellers alike--- and specifically, when it comes to weaving in and around tourists who don't know where they are going, we New Yorkers are so well adjusted to their sudden stopping that our zig-zagged walking patterns may look spastic but are really second nature to us. Everyone is stereotypically loud and fast talking, and not so good with the whole "patience" concept. (You may disagree, but in comparison to Londoners, well, we New Yorkers can sometimes live up to that stereotype!) 

With all that we New Yorkers are and are adjusted to, coming to London is and was a complete form of culture shock! Stores open casually around ten in the morning, much later than we are used to, and close as early as five in the afternoon. Don't even count on places regularly being open on weekends either! Take out is not well known here, especially the concept of calling ahead for your food. Walking the streets is a casual stroll really, no one in as much of a rush as back home. Don't even get me started on queueing! Waiting in line for over thirty minutes doesn't seem to bother anyone! Being confronted with this confusing London way of life I was determined to understand this different lifestyle. 

Enjoying Bedford Square Park

In order to observe this new culture, my friends and I decided to take part in a

regular English activity: sitting in a park. It was around lunch time on a rare beautiful sunny day and it seemed to draw out by the numbers people from all forms of London life. Students sat under the shade of trees on laid out blankets with their school books strewn across the ground beneath them, their coffees (or tea!) and cigarettes in hand; business men and women came out and had their lunch under the light sunshine dressed in their finest, not seeming to care that a wrinkle was making its way into the crisp suit; nannies took the children out to play in the jungle-gyms; adorable elderly women and men came out and took a seat on the benches. As I sat there for over the course of an hour this seemed to repeat over and over again. More and more people matching similar description came out to join the bunch and none seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

On the outside, Londoners may seem quite similar to the New York sense, but the thing that keeps them as far distanced from us as ever is their ability it seems to take everything very casually. Sitting and watching the park, I was given the overwhelming feeling that here in London, sitting in the park and enjoying peoples company was as important, if not more so, than working or anything else that we find important. This relaxed culture understands that although a life of hustle and bustle is important, so is a life of patience and taking time to enjoy life.